JP7310119B2 - Maintenance management device, maintenance management system, maintenance management method, maintenance management program, and display control device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a maintenance management device, a maintenance management system, a maintenance management method, a maintenance management program, and a display control device.

An information processing apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 1 (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-165467) calculates an efficient maintenance schedule from the relationship between regular maintenance information determined in the long term and alarm information related to alarms. , to the host device via the network. The serviceman visits for maintenance at the timing of the maintenance schedule provided from the information processing device. As a result, maintenance visits by service personnel can be efficiently performed.

However, in the case of the information processing apparatus of Patent Document 1, although a periodic maintenance schedule and alarm information of the equipment are taken into consideration, maintenance performed by the user on the information processing apparatus by himself/herself is not taken into consideration. . For this reason, even though the device is kept in good condition by the user performing maintenance such as cleaning, periodic maintenance may be performed in the same manner as a device that has not undergone such maintenance. There was a problem of becoming This means that unnecessary maintenance is performed or maintenance is performed redundantly, which is not preferable.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and provides a maintenance management device, a maintenance management system, and a maintenance management method that enable maintenance of equipment according to a maintenance schedule modified based on self-maintenance performed by a customer. , a maintenance management program, and a display control device.

In order to solve the above-described problems and achieve the object, the present invention provides an acquisition control unit that controls acquisition of self-maintenance information indicating the timing at which self-maintenance has been performed on a device via an acquisition unit; Timing information indicating a predetermined maintenance execution interval associated with contract information and at least scheduled execution timing, which is included in maintenance information indicating scheduled maintenance to be performed on equipment stored in a unit, and maintenance target is displayed on a status display screen that displays the timing at which the self -maintenance of the self-maintenance information is performed so that the administrator can view it, and the administrator corrects it via the change screen. , an update processing unit that updates the corrected timing information and maintenance target information to timing information indicating the next maintenance timing, and prompts maintenance of the device when the timing indicated by the updated timing information comes. and a notification control unit for sending a maintenance reminder notification to an information processing device of an operator who operates the equipment .

ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, it is effective in being able to perform the maintenance of an apparatus with the maintenance schedule corrected based on the self-maintenance which the customer performed.

FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically showing the system configuration of a maintenance management system according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a hardware configuration diagram of the management device. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the hardware configuration of an information processing device operated by a customer operator or the like on the customer side. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the hardware configuration of the collection device on the customer side. FIG. 5 is a functional block diagram showing each function realized by executing the maintenance management program by the CPU of the management device. FIG. 6 is a functional block diagram showing each function realized by executing the data collection program by the CPU of the collection device. FIG. 7 is a functional block diagram showing each function realized by the CPU of the customer operator's information processing device executing the self-maintenance AP. FIG. 8 is a flow chart showing the flow of maintenance timing update and notification operations in the management device. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of a maintenance management item change screen. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the maintenance status screen. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen displayed based on contact data indicating contact information of each customer. FIG. 12 is a flow chart showing the flow of maintenance timing update and notification operations in the management apparatus according to the second embodiment.

Hereinafter, embodiments of a maintenance management device, a maintenance management system, a maintenance management method, a maintenance management program, and a display control device will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

(System configuration of maintenance management system)
FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically showing the system configuration of a maintenance management system according to the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the maintenance management system has a manufacturer side system 1 and a customer side system 2 . The maker side system 1 and the customer side system 2 are interconnected via a network such as a public communication network such as the Internet and a private communication network such as a LAN.

(Manufacturer side system configuration)
The maker-side system 1 is a maker-side system that manufactures and sells the image forming apparatus 25 (an example of equipment) provided in the customer-side system 2 . This manufacturer-side system 1 collects data indicating the operation status of the management device 10, the core system 11, the terminal device 12 of the person in charge of the help desk of the call center, the terminal device 13 of the customer engineer, and the image forming device 25. It has a collection device 14 .

The management device 10 collects self-maintenance information indicating self-maintenance performed on the image forming device 25 by the customer, as will be described later. In addition, the management device 10 collects usage amount information indicating the "usage amount" of the image forming apparatus 25, such as the operating time, the number of printed sheets, the remaining amount of toner, etc., from the customer side.

In addition, the management device 10 performs, for example, settings change, log acquisition, task alert notification, firmware update processing of the image forming device 25, and the like. In addition, the management device 10 transmits the maintenance information to the customer system 2 at the timing when it is corrected (updated) based on the self-maintenance information collected from the customer system 2 and/or the usage information, and the image is displayed. Prompt maintenance of the forming device 25 .

The backbone system 11 manages each part such as the management device 10 and the customer engineer's terminal device 13 that constitute the manufacturer side system 1 (manages the entire system). The terminal device 12 of the person in charge of the help desk of the call center provides service and support in response to inquiries from customers.

The customer engineer's terminal device 13 performs remote maintenance for the customer, such as checking the operation status of the image forming apparatus 25, changing settings, acquiring logs, notifying task alerts, and updating the firmware of the image forming apparatus 25. FIG. Also, the customer engineer goes to the customer side and performs registration, operation status confirmation, remote maintenance, and predetermined on-site work via the terminal device 13 .

The operation status collection device 14 that collects data indicating the operation status of the image forming device 25 collects various data collected from the image forming device 25 and the image forming device transmitted from the terminal device 23 of the manager on the customer side. 25, the operating status of the image forming apparatus 25 is monitored.

(Customer side system configuration)
The customer-side system 2 includes an information processing device 20 of a customer-side operator, a collection device 22, a customer-side administrator's terminal device 23, an operation status monitoring device 24, and one or more images provided by the manufacturer. It has a forming device 25 .

As the information processing device 20 of the operator on the customer side, in addition to the personal computer device on the desktop side, a mobile device such as a smart phone or a personal computer device on the notebook side can be used. The operator on the customer side installs a self-maintenance application program (self-maintenance AP) 21 provided by the management device 10 on the manufacturer side into the information processing device 20 . Then, the operator on the customer side activates the self-maintenance application 21 and performs an input operation to declare the self-maintenance performed on the image forming apparatus 25 by the customer side.

As the image forming device 25, for example, a printer device, a scanner device, or a multifunction device having a plurality of image forming functions can be used. The image forming apparatus 25 has a DFE (Digital Front End) controller 26 and an engine 27 . The engine 27 performs print control for a predetermined print medium. The DFE controller 26 displays the self-maintenance information input based on the self-maintenance AP 21, and the usage amount indicating the "usage amount" of the image forming apparatus 25 collected from the engine 27, such as the operating time, the number of printed sheets, the remaining amount of toner, and the like. The information is sent to the collection device 22 .

Although the example in FIG. 1 shows that the DFE controller 26 is provided inside the image forming apparatus 25 , the DFE controller 26 may be provided outside the image forming apparatus 25 . That is, the image forming device 25 and the DFE controller 26 may be separate devices.

The collection device 22 collects self-maintenance information indicating self-maintenance input by the operator on the customer side via the information processing device 20, and usage amount information indicating "use amount" such as operating time, number of prints, remaining amount of toner, and the like. are collected and transmitted to the management device 10 on the manufacturer side. An administrator on the customer side supplies operation status confirmation data indicating the operation status of the image forming apparatus 25 to the operation status monitoring device 24 via the terminal device 23, or transmits the data to the operation status collection device 14 on the manufacturer side. . The operating status monitoring device 24 collects various data from the image forming device 25 and the administrator's terminal device 23, monitors the operating status of the image forming device 25, and sends operating status confirmation data to the operating status collecting device 14 on the manufacturer's side. is sent.

In the example of FIG. 1, the self-maintenance AP is installed in the customer operator's information processing apparatus 20 and the self-maintenance information is input. Alternatively, the operation unit of the image forming apparatus 25 may be operated to input the self-maintenance information. Alternatively, a self-maintenance AP may be installed in a DFE controller that is separate from the image forming apparatus 25, and self-maintenance information may be input by operating the operation unit of the DFE controller.

(Hardware configuration of management device)
FIG. 2 is a hardware configuration diagram of the management device 10. As shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 2, the management device 10 includes a CPU (Center Processing Unit) 31, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 32, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 33, a timer 34, a storage unit 35, a communication unit 36, a display unit 37 and an operation unit 38 .

The CPU 31 controls the overall operation of the management device 10 . The ROM 32 stores an operating system (OS) and the like. For example, each function of a maintenance management program is developed in the RAM 33 by the CPU 31 . The CPU 31 executes each function developed in the RAM 33 according to maintenance management. The timer 34 keeps time such as hours, minutes, and seconds. The CPU 31 measures the maintenance timing of the image forming apparatus 25 based on the clock information clocked by the timer 34, and issues a notification to prompt the maintenance.

As the storage unit 35, for example, a magnetic storage device such as a HDD (Hard Disk Drive), an optical storage device, or a semiconductor storage device such as an SSD (Solid State Drive) can be used. Maintenance schedule data 41 indicating the maintenance schedule of the image forming apparatus 25 is stored in the storage unit 35 . The storage unit 35 also stores a self-maintenance AP 42 to be installed in the customer operator's information processing apparatus 20, image forming apparatus 25, or a DFE controller separate from the image forming apparatus 25. there is The storage unit 35 also stores a maintenance management program 43 for managing maintenance of the image forming apparatus 25 . The CPU 31 performs maintenance management of the image forming apparatus 25 by executing the maintenance management program 43 as will be described later.

The communication unit 36 performs wired communication or wireless communication via a network between the collection device 22 on the customer side and the information processing device 20 operated by the customer operator. As will be described later, the display unit 37 displays the date on which the maintenance of each image forming apparatus 25 was performed, the interval at which maintenance is performed, the schedule for the next maintenance, the schedule for the next maintenance, and the like. . The operation unit 38 is operated by an administrator or the like of the manufacturer when inputting settings related to maintenance.

(Hardware configuration of information processing device)
FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the hardware configuration of the information processing device 20 operated by a customer operator or the like on the customer side. As shown in FIG. 3 , the information processing device 20 has a CPU 51 , a ROM 52 , a RAM 53 , a storage section 54 , a communication section 55 , a display section 56 and an operation section 57 .

The CPU 51 controls the overall operation of the information processing device 20 . The ROM 52 stores an operating system (OS) and the like. Each function of the self-maintenance AP 42 is developed in the RAM 53 by the CPU 51 .

As the storage unit 54, for example, a magnetic storage device such as an HDD, an optical storage device, or a semiconductor storage device such as an SSD can be used. The storage unit 35 stores the self-maintenance AP 42 and the like downloaded from the management device 10 . As will be described later, the CPU 51 performs information processing of self-maintenance information according to an input operation by deploying and executing each function of the self-maintenance AP 42 in the RAM 53 .

The communication unit 55 performs wired communication or wireless communication via a network between the collection device 22 on the customer side and the management device 10 on the manufacturer side. An input screen for self-maintenance information and the like are displayed on the display unit 56 based on the self-maintenance AP 42 . Further, the display unit 56 displays a maintenance notification, which is notified from the management apparatus 10 and prompts maintenance of the image forming apparatus 25 . The operation unit 57 is operated when inputting self-maintenance information or the like.

(Hardware configuration of collection device)
FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the hardware configuration of the collection device 22 on the customer side. As shown in FIG. 4 , the collection device 22 has a CPU 61 , ROM 62 , RAM 63 , storage section 64 and communication section 65 .

The CPU 61 controls the overall operation of the collection device 22 . The ROM 62 stores an operating system (OS) and the like. Each function of the data collection program is developed in the RAM 63 by the CPU 61 .

As the storage unit 64, for example, a magnetic storage device such as an HDD, an optical storage device, or a semiconductor storage device such as an SSD can be used. This storage unit 64 stores usage amount information collected from the image storage device 25, indicating the "usage amount" of the image forming apparatus 25, such as the operating time, the number of prints, the amount of remaining toner, etc., and the customer operator's information processing. Self-maintenance information and the like collected from the device 20 are stored. The CPU 61 expands each function of the data collection program in the RAM 53 and executes it, thereby collecting the usage amount information and the self-maintenance information and transmitting them to the management device 10 . The communication unit 65 performs wired communication or wireless communication via a network between the customer's image forming apparatus 25 and the manufacturer's management apparatus 10 .

(Functional configuration of management device)
FIG. 5 is a functional block diagram showing functions implemented by the CPU 31 of the management device 10 executing the maintenance management program. As shown in FIG. 5, a communication control unit 71, a display control unit 72, a notification control unit 73, a storage control unit 74, an AP distribution control unit 75, an update processing unit 76, and a timing management unit 77 are implemented by the maintenance management program. be done.

The communication control unit 71 is an example of an acquisition control unit, and performs wired or wireless communication with the customer-side collection device 22 and with the customer operator's information processing device 20 via the communication unit 36. Perform communication control of communication. Specifically, the communication control unit 71 acquires and controls the self-maintenance information input by the customer operator and the usage amount information collected from the image forming apparatus 25 from the collection device 22 .

The display control unit 72 controls the display unit 37 to display the date on which the maintenance of each image forming apparatus 25 was performed, the interval at which maintenance is performed, the schedule for the next maintenance, and the schedule for the next maintenance. .

The notification control unit 73 notifies the customer operator's information processing device 20 or the like of the maintenance at the timing when maintenance of the image forming device 25 is performed. The storage control unit 74 controls storage of the maintenance schedule data 41 indicating the maintenance schedule of each image forming apparatus 25 in the storage unit 35 .

The AP distribution control unit 75 controls distribution of the self-maintenance AP 42 for inputting self-maintenance to the customer operator's information processing device 20, the image forming device 25, and the like. The update processing unit 76 corrects (updates) the maintenance schedule data stored in the storage unit 36 based on the self-maintenance information and/or usage amount information acquired from the collection device 22, and updates the image forming device 25. update the maintenance timings.

The timing management unit 77 monitors the maintenance timing indicated by the maintenance schedule data based on the timing information counted by the timer 34, and when the maintenance timing comes, the timing management unit 77 notifies the notification control unit 73 of the maintenance A notification is sent to indicate that the timing of Upon receipt of a notification from the timing management unit 77, the notification control unit 73 notifies the customer operator's information processing device 20 or the like of maintenance to prompt maintenance.

In this example, the communication control section 71 to the timing management section 77 are implemented by software, but some or all of them may be implemented by hardware such as an IC (Integrated Circuit). good. Further, the functions realized by the communication control unit 71 to the timing management unit 77 may be realized by the maintenance management program alone, by causing another program to execute part of the processing, or indirectly by using another program. Alternatively, the process may be executed automatically. The same applies to other programs in this embodiment.

Also, the maintenance management program may be recorded in a computer-readable recording medium such as a CD-ROM or a flexible disk (FD) as an installable or executable file. Also, the maintenance management program may be provided by being recorded on a computer-readable recording medium such as a CD-R, a DVD (Digital Versatile Disk), a Blu-ray Disc (registered trademark), or a semiconductor memory. Also, the maintenance management program may be provided by being installed via a network such as the Internet, or may be provided by being pre-installed in a ROM or the like in the device. The same applies to other programs in this embodiment.

(Functional configuration of collection device)
FIG. 6 is a functional block diagram showing functions implemented by the CPU 61 of the collection device 22 executing the data collection program. As shown in FIG. 6, a communication control section 79 and a collection processing section 80 are implemented by the data collection program.

The collection processing unit 80 collects self-maintenance information from the customer operator's information processing device 20 and usage amount information from the image forming device 25 . The communication control unit 79 acquires self-maintenance information and usage amount information, and controls transmission of the acquired self-maintenance information and usage amount information to the management device 10 via the communication unit 65 .

(Functional configuration of information processing device)
FIG. 7 is a functional block diagram showing functions implemented by the CPU 51 of the customer operator's information processing device 20 executing the self-maintenance AP. As shown in FIG. 7, the self-maintenance AP implements a communication control section 81, a display control section 82, an input acquisition section 83, and an input processing section 84. FIG.

The communication control unit 81 controls the communication unit 55 to perform wired communication or wireless communication via the network with the management device 10 and with the collection device 22 . The display control unit 82 controls display on the display unit 56 of an input screen or the like for inputting information regarding self-maintenance performed on the image forming apparatus 25 .

The input acquisition unit 83 acquires information on self-maintenance input via the input screen. The input processing unit 84 forms self-maintenance information indicating self-maintenance performed on the image forming apparatus 25 based on the information on self-maintenance input through the input screen. The formed self-maintenance information is collected by the collection device 22 and transmitted to the management device 10 .

(Update operation of maintenance timing)
The management device 10 of such a maintenance management system can set the maintenance timing of one or a plurality of image forming apparatuses 25 stored in advance in the storage unit 35 and managed by self-administered maintenance timings for the image forming apparatuses 25 on the customer side. Modified (updated) according to maintenance, etc. Then, the management device 10 notifies the corresponding image forming device 25 to perform maintenance at the updated maintenance timing.

FIG. 8 is a flow chart showing the flow of maintenance timing update and notification operations in such a management device 10 . This flowchart starts when the CPU 31 of the management device 10 reads out the maintenance management program 43 stored in the storage unit 35, develops each function shown in FIG.

In step S<b>1 , the communication control unit 71 collects self-maintenance information indicating the content of self-maintenance performed on each image forming apparatus 25 by the customer from the collection device 22 on the customer side. The collection device 22 collects usage amount information indicating “usage amount” such as operating time, number of prints, remaining amount of toner, etc. from each image forming apparatus 25 . The collection device 22 includes this usage amount information in the self-maintenance information and transmits it to the management device 10 .

When this self-maintenance information is collected, the manager of the manufacturer is notified that the self-maintenance information has been acquired. The administrator at the manufacturer recognizes the contents of the self-maintenance performed on the image forming apparatus 25 based on the collected self-maintenance information. Then, by operating the operation unit 38, the manager at the manufacturer side designates the display of the maintenance information change screen (maintenance management item change screen) of the customer for whom self-maintenance has been performed.

When such a display designation is made, the display control unit 72 controls the display of the maintenance management item change screen illustrated in FIG. 9 on the display unit 37, for example. As an example, the maintenance management item change screen includes contract name, product name, maintenance interval, and maintenance category. Task name, etc. are displayed. In FIG. 9, the contract name is "support contract A", the product name is "ABC70", and the maintenance interval is cleaning of the nozzle plate every two weeks, cleaning of the conveying roller, cleaning of the nozzle plate and cleaning of the filter every month. and wiper unit cleaning.

FIG. 10 is an example of a display screen of the maintenance status (an example of implementation status) displayed on the display section 37 by the display control section 72 based on the self-maintenance information collected from the customer side. This FIG. 10 shows, as a maintenance status screen, maintenance intervals, categories, task names, previous implementation dates, and next scheduled implementation dates (next schedule: an example of timing information) predetermined by the above-mentioned contract. This is an example. Specifically, in the example of FIG. 10, the automatic daily printer head cleaning is performed on February 28, 2018, and the next time it is performed on March 1, 2018. It is shown that. Also, the example of FIG. 10 shows that when an air dryer is provided, dry cleaning of the drum is carried out monthly. Note that intervals such as Daily and Monthly are examples of implementation interval information.

Based on such self-maintenance information and usage amount information collected from the customer side, the administrator at the manufacturer side corrects (updates) the self-maintenance information on the maintenance management item change screen shown in FIG. Specifically, the administrator on the manufacturer side updates the self-maintenance information at the time, date, or interval determined based on the implementation date of the self-maintenance, and clicks the "Change" button shown in FIG. to operate.

Alternatively, the administrator at the manufacturer updates the self-maintenance information at the time, date, or interval determined based on the installation date of the image forming apparatus 25, and operates the "change" button shown in FIG. Alternatively, the administrator on the manufacturer side updates the self-maintenance information at the time, date, or interval determined based on the usage amount of the image forming apparatus 25 indicated by the usage amount information, and clicks "change" shown in FIG. button.

Upon detection of the "change" button operation, the update processing unit 76 updates the maintenance information stored in the storage unit 35 to the date when the self-maintenance was performed, the installation date of the image forming apparatus 25, or the date of installation of the image forming apparatus. The time, date or interval determined based on the amount of usage of V.25. The above is the operation of step S1.

Next, in step S2, the administrator operates the operation unit 38 to designate the display of the maintenance timing of each image forming apparatus 25 that has undergone the update process. When this designation is made, the display control unit 72 displays on the display unit 37 the maintenance interval of each image forming apparatus 25, the details of the performed maintenance, the maintenance implementation date, and the next implementation date. In step S3, the timing management unit 77 determines whether or not the maintenance time for the image forming apparatus 25 has passed based on the date of maintenance (step S3). If the timing management unit 77 determines that the maintenance time has not passed (step S3: No), the process returns to step S1, and if it is determined that the maintenance time has passed (step S3: Yes ), the process proceeds to step S4. When the timing management unit 77 determines that the maintenance time has passed, the timing management unit 77 notifies the notification control unit 73 to that effect.

In step S4, since the maintenance time has passed, the notification control unit 73 sends an e-mail (an example of a maintenance reminder notice) to the customer who has passed the maintenance time to request maintenance. The processing of the flow chart of FIG. 8 ends.

Specifically, FIG. 11 is an example of a display screen displayed based on the contact information data indicating the contact information of each customer included in the maintenance schedule data 41 . As shown in FIG. 11, the maintenance schedule data 41 includes, for example, an e-mail address of each customer as contact data. The notification control unit 73 automatically creates an e-mail prompting maintenance, and transmits the e-mail to the e-mail address indicated by the contact data.

The example of FIG. 1 shows an example in which an e-mail requesting maintenance is sent from the notification control unit 73 to the terminal device 23 of the administrator on the customer side and the information processing device 20 of the customer operator. The customer who receives this e-mail will perform maintenance of the image forming apparatus 25 .

(Effect of the first embodiment)
As is clear from the above description, the maintenance management system of the first embodiment collects self-maintenance information indicating self-maintenance work performed by customers on each image processing apparatus 25 . Then, according to the self-maintenance work performed by the customer, the planned maintenance schedule is corrected (updated).

As a result, the timing of self-maintenance can be notified to the customer based on the modified maintenance schedule. Therefore, it is possible to prevent inconveniences such as unnecessary maintenance being performed or duplicate maintenance being performed.

(Second embodiment)
Next, the maintenance management system of the second embodiment will be explained. The first embodiment described above is an example in which a maintenance reminder notice is issued when the maintenance implementation date has passed. On the other hand, the maintenance management system according to the second embodiment is an example in which a maintenance reminder notification prompting maintenance is issued at a predetermined timing before the maintenance time, date, period, or the like. Only this point is different between the first embodiment described above and the second embodiment described below. Therefore, only the difference between the two will be described below, and redundant description will be omitted.

FIG. 12 is a flow chart showing the flow of maintenance timing update and notification operations in the management device 10 according to the second embodiment. This flowchart starts when the CPU 31 of the management device 10 reads out the maintenance management program 43 stored in the storage unit 35, develops each function shown in FIG.

The operations of steps S11 and S12 correspond to the operations of steps S1 and S2 in the flowchart of FIG. That is, the update processing section 76 updates the maintenance schedule data 41 stored in the storage section 35 based on the self-maintenance information collected from the customer side. As a result, the process proceeds to step S13.

In step S13, the timing management unit 77 generates self-maintenance information, such as the updated time, date, or period, which is a predetermined period before the maintenance timing and indicates that scheduled maintenance has been performed at present. Determine whether it is received or not. That is, the timing management unit 77 determines whether or not self-maintenance information indicating that the scheduled maintenance has been performed has been received by the time a predetermined period before the maintenance implementation timing.

If the self-maintenance information indicating that the scheduled maintenance has been performed is not received (step S13: Yes), the notification control unit 73 prompts for maintenance in step S14. Notification is made, and the processing of the flowchart of FIG. 12 ends.

On the other hand, if the time has not come before the predetermined period of time (step S13: No), the timing management unit 77 determines in step S15 whether or not the maintenance time has passed. If the maintenance period has not passed (step S15: No), the process returns to step S11. If the maintenance period has passed (step S15: Yes), the notification control unit 73 issues a maintenance reminder notification in step S14, and ends the processing of the flowchart of FIG.

(Effect of Second Embodiment)
In this manner, when the timing comes a predetermined time before the scheduled maintenance timing, the maintenance prompting notification prompting the maintenance to be performed is issued. As a result, it is possible to prompt the user to perform maintenance well in advance of the timing of performing maintenance, and to obtain the same effects as in the above-described first embodiment.

Finally, each embodiment described above is presented as an example and is not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. Each novel embodiment can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, replacements, and modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. Further, each embodiment and modifications of each embodiment are included in the scope and gist of the invention, and are also included in the scope of the invention described in the claims and equivalents thereof.

1 Manufacturer Side System 2 Customer Side System 10 Management Device 11 Core System 20 Information Processing Device 21 Self-Maintenance Application Program 22 Collection Device 25 Image Forming Device 26 DFE Controller 27 Engine 35 Storage Part 37 Display Part 41 Maintenance Schedule Data 42 Self-Maintenance Application Program 43 maintenance management program 71 communication control unit 72 display control unit 73 notification control unit 74 storage control unit 75 application program distribution control unit 76 update processing unit 77 timing management unit 80 collection processing unit

JP 2005-165467 A

Claims (23)

an acquisition control unit that acquires and controls, via an acquisition unit, self-maintenance information indicating the timing at which self-maintenance is performed on a device;
timing information indicating at least a scheduled maintenance timing and a predetermined maintenance interval associated with contract information, which is included in maintenance information indicating maintenance scheduled to be performed on the device stored in a storage unit; and maintenance and maintenance target information indicating the target of the self- maintenance information is displayed on a status display screen that displays the timing at which the self-maintenance of the self-maintenance information is performed to an administrator in a viewable manner, and the administrator can change the information via the change screen. an update processing unit that updates the corrected timing information and the maintenance target information to the timing information indicating the timing of the next maintenance by correcting;
A maintenance management device comprising: a notification control unit that sends a maintenance prompt notification to an information processing device of an operator who operates the equipment when the timing indicated by the updated timing information has come. The update processing unit
Updating the timing information stored in the storage unit at a timing determined based on the timing at which the self-maintenance indicated by the self-maintenance information was performed, the installation date of the device, or the amount of usage of the device. The maintenance management device according to claim 1, characterized by: The maintenance information stored in the storage unit includes implementation interval information indicating an implementation interval of maintenance,
The update processing unit updates the maintenance interval information included in the maintenance information stored in the storage unit based on the self-maintenance information,
3. The maintenance management device according to claim 1, wherein the notification control unit issues the maintenance reminder notification based on the updated implementation interval information. The notification control unit
When the self-maintenance information indicating that maintenance has been performed on the device cannot be obtained by the timing indicated by the timing information stored in the storage unit, the maintenance reminder notice is sent. The maintenance management device according to any one of claims 1 to 3. The notification control unit
When the self-maintenance information indicating that maintenance has been performed on the device cannot be acquired by a timing a predetermined time before the timing indicated by the timing information stored in the storage unit, the maintenance reminder 4. The maintenance management device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein notification is performed. The storage unit stores the maintenance information of a plurality of the devices,
2. The display controller further comprising a display control unit that controls a display of the maintenance implementation status of each of the devices based on the maintenance information of each of the devices stored in the storage unit. The maintenance management device according to any one of claims 5 to 6. a maintenance management device according to any one of claims 1 to 6;
a collection device that collects the self-maintenance information for the device and transmits it to the maintenance management device;
an information processing device of a user who manages the device, which inputs the self-maintenance information indicating the self-maintenance performed on the device and receives the maintenance information notified from the notification control unit; A maintenance management system characterized by: the device is an image forming apparatus having an operation unit and a self-maintenance application;
inputting the self-maintenance information indicating the timing at which the self-maintenance regarding cleaning of the image forming apparatus was performed to the self-maintenance application from the operation unit of the image forming apparatus;
The collection device is
The input self-maintenance information and usage amount information using the image forming apparatus are collected from the image forming apparatus, and the usage amount information is included in the self-maintenance information and transmitted to the maintenance management apparatus. The maintenance management system according to claim 7, wherein an acquisition control step in which the acquisition control unit acquires, via the acquisition unit, self-maintenance information indicating the timing at which self-maintenance was performed on the device;
The update processing unit indicates at least a scheduled maintenance timing and a predetermined maintenance interval associated with the contract information, which is included in the maintenance information indicating scheduled maintenance for the equipment stored in the storage unit. The timing information and the maintenance target information indicating the target of maintenance are displayed on a status display screen that displays the timing at which the self-maintenance of the self-maintenance information is performed so that the manager can view it. an update processing step of updating the corrected timing information and the maintenance target information to the timing information indicating the next maintenance timing by correcting through the change screen ;
a notification control step in which, when the timing indicated by the updated timing information has come, a notification control unit sends a maintenance reminder notification for urging maintenance of the equipment to an information processing device of an operator who operates the equipment; maintenance management method. In the update processing step,
Updating the timing information stored in the storage unit at a timing determined based on the timing at which the self-maintenance indicated by the self-maintenance information was performed, the installation date of the device, or the amount of usage of the device. The maintenance management method according to claim 9, characterized by: The maintenance information stored in the storage unit includes implementation interval information indicating an implementation interval of maintenance,
In the update processing step, update processing is performed on the implementation interval information of the maintenance information stored in the storage unit based on the self-maintenance information;
11. The maintenance management method according to claim 9, wherein, in said notification control step, said maintenance reminder notification is sent based on updated implementation interval information. In the notification control step,
When the self-maintenance information indicating that maintenance has been performed on the device cannot be obtained by the timing indicated by the timing information stored in the storage unit, the maintenance reminder notice is sent. The maintenance management method according to any one of claims 9 to 11. In the notification control step,
When the self-maintenance information indicating that maintenance has been performed on the device cannot be acquired by a timing a predetermined time before the timing indicated by the timing information stored in the storage unit, the maintenance reminder 12. The maintenance management method according to any one of claims 9 to 11, wherein a notification is made. The storage unit stores the maintenance information of a plurality of the devices,
9 to 10, further comprising a display control step of displaying, on a display unit, a status of implementation of maintenance of each of the devices based on the maintenance information of each of the devices stored in the storage unit. 14. The maintenance management method according to any one of items 13. the computer,
an acquisition control unit that acquires and controls, via an acquisition unit, self-maintenance information indicating the timing at which self-maintenance is performed on a device;
timing information indicating at least a scheduled maintenance timing and a predetermined maintenance interval associated with contract information, which is included in maintenance information indicating maintenance scheduled to be performed on the device stored in a storage unit; and maintenance and maintenance target information indicating the target of the self-maintenance information, and a status display screen that displays the timing at which the self- maintenance of the self-maintenance information is performed in a viewable manner to an administrator, and the administrator can change the information via the change screen. an update processing unit that updates the corrected timing information and the maintenance target information to the timing information indicating the timing of the next maintenance by correcting;
A maintenance management program characterized in that it functions as a notification control unit that sends a maintenance reminder notice to an information processing device of an operator who operates the equipment when the updated timing comes. The update processing unit
Updating the timing information stored in the storage unit at a timing determined based on the timing at which the self-maintenance indicated by the self-maintenance information was performed, the installation date of the device, or the amount of usage of the device. The maintenance management program according to claim 15, characterized by: The maintenance information stored in the storage unit includes implementation interval information indicating an implementation interval of maintenance,
The update processing unit updates the implementation interval indicated by the implementation interval information of the maintenance information stored in the storage unit based on the self-maintenance information,
17. The maintenance management program according to claim 15, wherein the notification control unit issues the maintenance reminder notification based on the updated implementation interval. The notification control unit
When the self-maintenance information indicating that maintenance has been performed on the device cannot be obtained by the timing indicated by the timing information stored in the storage unit, the maintenance reminder notice is sent. 18. The maintenance management program according to any one of claims 15 to 17. The notification control unit
When the self-maintenance information indicating that maintenance has been performed on the device cannot be acquired by a timing a predetermined time before the timing indicated by the timing information stored in the storage unit, the maintenance reminder 18. The maintenance management program according to any one of claims 15 to 17, wherein a notification is made. The storage unit stores the maintenance information of a plurality of the devices,
15 to 15, further functioning as a display control unit for displaying the maintenance implementation status of each device on a display unit based on the maintenance information of each device stored in the storage unit. Item 20. The maintenance management program according to any one of Item 19. an acquisition control unit that acquires, via an acquisition unit, self-maintenance information including date information indicating the date on which self-maintenance was performed on the device;
a display control unit that controls display on a display unit of the date when self-maintenance was performed on the device based on the date information included in the self-maintenance information acquired through the acquisition unit;
a storage unit storing maintenance information including interval information indicating intervals of maintenance to be performed on the device;
Timing information indicating at least a predetermined maintenance interval associated with contract information, which is included in the maintenance information stored in the storage unit, and maintenance target information indicating a maintenance target. displaying the timing at which the self- maintenance of the self-maintenance information is performed on a status display screen for browsable display for an administrator, and the administrator corrects the timing information through a change screen; and an update processing unit that updates the maintenance target information to timing information indicating the timing of the next maintenance ,
The display control device, wherein the display control section controls display of the timing information on the display section. The maintenance information stored in the storage unit includes next implementation date information indicating the date of the next maintenance to be performed on the device,
22. The display control device according to claim 21, wherein the display control unit displays the date of the next maintenance to be performed on the device on the display unit based on the next implementation date information. . 22. An update processing unit that updates the next implementation date information so as to update the next maintenance schedule for the device based on the acquired self-maintenance information. The display control device according to .

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